Last Entry on Blogger

This version of MIXED MINISTRIES, hosted by Blogger, is slowly grinding down to a stop. In order to blog here (or on the Blogger version of my "MIXED GENES" blog), I have to access the sites using an old email address. 

SO... I've moved both blogs to Word Press! NO NEW POSTS are being posted here on the Blogger sites.

Please follow the links to the new versions of these two blogs AND check out a new blog I have there as well: Mixed Meditations, featuring devotional and spiritual posts, allowing me to focus the Mixed Ministries blog on the practice of ministry.

The new version of MIXED GENES is found at www.mixedgenes.wordpress.com


The new version of MIXED MINISTRIES is found at www.mixedministries.wordpress.com


The new blog MIXED MEDITATIONS is found at www.mixedmeditations.wordpress.com

ALL three blogs are now active on WordPress!

THANKS!

Church Signs... Funny or not?

Please check out this video and then read my response. I'm interested in having some conversation about my concerns.



The Funniest Church Signs!!!! from churchsignslol on GodTube.


I enjoyed some of these. But I wonder if I'm SUPPOSED to be enjoying them. (Not that there's something wrong with my enjoyment, but rather shouldn't the public sign of a Christians church offer hope and invite the non-Christian into relationship with HIM? Signs that only a Christian insider can understand are probably lost on the ones we say we're trying to reach? And signs like "God doesn't believe in Atheists" and to the "dyslexic atheist" seem to be a deliberate snub or mocking of the atheist. And I was appalled to see a United Methodist Church sign mocking victims of natural disasters and blaming them on God. How does that do to help them receive the REAL message of Christ?

Response to "Living the Connection"

In her recent blog post on the United Methodist's Desert Southwest Conference's website, Bishop Minerva G. Carcaño wrote about her experience and frustration at the United Methodist Church's General Conference in Tampa, Florida.


She starts with a story about a little girl coming up to her near the information help desk and offering her a band-aid. Bishop Carcaño writes, "I realized that this child had sensed woundedness and was responding to it. It wasn’t my woundedness, it was our woundedness. Our 2012 General Conference showed the world our woundedness as United Methodists."


The bishop went on then to list wounded areas of our church that were evident at those sessions, such as racism, sexism, and, our "homophobia." Interestingly, homophobia means a fear of homosexuality. From everything I've read and heard there was no fear of it at all. Rather, there was a deliberate, fearless stand taken against the practice of homosexual behavior in the name of the church. United Methodists, it has again been reasserted, does not define itself by acceptance of homosexual behavior. Not even when childish protests are surrounding the U.M. decision makers in an effort to intimidate them (such as the blowing of whistles whenever something did not go the way the protesters wanted).


Bishop Carcaño relates that point in this way: "Our homophobia was blatant as we heard delegates compare homosexuality to bestiality, and voice other dehumanizing expressions against our LGBT brothers and sisters."

I encourage you to check out her original post, so that you're not just taking my word on it. Here is the response I left in the comment section (I'm not sure if the 'moderator' will post it or not).

Cute story about the little girl and her band-aids, although I'm not really convinced that her motivation was her deep sense of our woundedness. More than likely, some adult, pushing some agenda, put her up to it. So be cautious reading too much into it. 

Bishop, your comments about the African United Methodists needing to 'grow up' is way out of line. They are faithful people who were taught by us, and then went to their Bibles (provided by us), and read the same thing we had taught them. That's not immaturity, that's being faithful! O that United Methodists in the United States would be THAT faithful!
As for the bestiality comments and such, I was not there and had not read nor heard of those comments, so I'll take your word on that. I personally think that would have been overly inflammatory. However, the Bible does speak to bestiality and does so with the same language and in the same areas of the Bible as it does of homosexual behavior, so I can see how that jump could have been made.

Frankly, if we are to really go about this process of dealing with the LGBT issues the American way, then we need to acknowledge that we are NOT the only choice of churches in the U.S. any more than McDonalds is the only American restaurant. And if I were standing in a McDonalds, and saw that the lobster fest I really wanted wasn't offered there, I surely wouldn't keep standing in that McDonalds where they opposed every menu change attempt I suggested. No, I'd leave that restaurant and go find one that served what I wanted. Because I CAN have exactly what I want if I'm willing to go into the right restaurant. It is stupid for me to expect lobster in a McDonalds that will not change its menu.

The definition of insanity, I am told, is to keep doing the same things that don't work, and expect a different outcome. It's been 40 years. Same outcome every time. AND now the African United Methodists are growing and having more influence (in number of delegates). Is there really anyone who thinks the UM "menu" will change next time? or the time after that?
I personally have no problem with a person with homosexual urges or whatever attending our churches, but the church has, for the 11th time in 40 years, said 'NO, we will NOT change our stance on homosexual behavior.' Isn't it about time that someone, especially bishops who are to safeguard our Discipline and covenant, start listening and pay attention? 

Again, this is a conversation between this bishop and whomever reads her posting. Please read her post and then, if you have a comment, leave it in her comment section so that we can have real conversation with the one who started this particular conversation.

THANKS!

Finding the Right Words to Say

This morning, I ran across this article I found a few years ago in my urologist's office as I was having one of my semi-annual cancer followup appointments. (In fact, I just realized that I passed the 5 year cancer free point a couple weeks ago! I missed it!)

When I was going through my surgery and the pre-op and post-op times, there were a lot of people who said a lot of things to me. Some were pretty stupid. (Saying 'Everything has a reason' or 'God won't give you more than you can handle' are NOT comforting or helpful!)  Some comments were simply failed attempts to try to connect with me in a painful time... by turning the conversation away from me and what I was dealing with. (I don't really want to hear how you cousin's brother-in-law's father died of cancer! You came to visit me... I'm not there to visit whoever you just referenced. I'm already overwhelmed at just what I'm dealing with.) 


I KNOW that EVERYONE who came to visit chose to do so because of love and concern for me. I LOVED the visits, just not everything that was offered as 'support.'

The visitors I appreciated the most came, expressed how sorry they were that I had to face that crappy situation and asked me how  I  felt. They may or may not have prayed with me. Then, after 10-15 minutes they left me alone.


(There were so many that visited me that day after the surgery that I did't push the pain button so I could be somewhat conscious with the visitors, again, people that loved me and were concerned about me and I loved them for coming. By that night, when I was all alone and all anesthesia had worn off, I was in so much pain I would have gladly had someone just put me out of my misery. I repented for trying to stay alert to be able to visit with visitors!)

ALL of that to say, I really appreciated this article and wished I could have seen this myself when I started as a pastor 16 years ago. And I think there would be great benefit in requiring people to read it before they're allowed to visit someone.

It was written by Leslie Starsoneck and appeared in the July/August of 2009 issue of Coping magazine.

(Clicking the image should bring up a larger, readable version of the article.)

Mother’s Day Prayer

Mother’s Day Prayer | Get Up With God

The Twelve Steps for Christians

A friend sent me a message asking me about how the Twelve Steps of groups like Alcoholics Anonymous, Narcotics Anonymous, and Overeaters Anonymous line up with Scripture and Christianity. 

I shared with her about the way the Twelve Steps are used in a specialized Study Bible called: The Life Recovery Bible. I've owned this study Bible for about a decade and refer to it often: professionally (as I work with others) and personally (as I continue to struggle often with my own addictive relationship to food).

The second resource I referred her to is a small book: The Twelve Steps for Christians. There are encouraging and inspirational meditations on each step. It also highlights Biblical passages that contain the principles embodied in the Twelve Steps. 

I highly encourage any Christian who struggles with any kind of brokenness (and we're all broken aren't we?) to delve into these resources and others like them.

1.        We admitted that we were powerless over our dependencies – that our life had become unmanageable.                           (Romans 7:18)  (Psalm 6:6-7)

2.       We came to believe that a Power greater than ourselves could restore us to sanity.                            (Philippians 2:13)  (Mark 9:23-24)

3.       We made a decision to turn our will and our life over to the care of God.                           (Romans 12:1)  (Galatians 2:20)

4.       We made a searching and fearless moral inventory of ourselves.                           (Lamentations 3:40)  (Galatians 6:3-5)  (Psalm 139:23-24)

5.       We admitted to God, to ourselves, and to another human being the exact nature of our wrongs.                          (James 5:16a)  (Psalm 32:3-5)  (Romans 14:12)  (Jeremiah 14:20)

6.       We were entirely ready to have God remove all these defects of character.                          (James 4:10)  (Psalm 37:4-7)  (Romans 12:2)

7.       We humbly asked him to remove our shortcomings.                          (1 John 1:9)  (Philippians 4:6)  (Psalm 51:10-12)  (James 4:6-8)

8.       We made a list of all persons we had harmed and became willing to make amends to them all.                                                                              (Luke 6:31)  (Luke 19:8)  (Matthew 7:3-4)

9.       We made direct amends to such people wherever possible, except when to do so would injure them or others.                           (Matthew 5:23-24)  (1 Peter 4:8-10)  (Romans 13:8)

10.   We continued to take personal inventory, and when we were wrong, promptly admitted it.                        (1 Corinthians 10:12)  (Psalm 34:12)  (Ephesians 5:15-16)

11.   We sought through prayer and meditation to improve our conscious contact with God, praying only for knowledge of his will for us and the power to carry it out.                       (Colossians 3:16a)  (Mark 11:24)  (Hosea 6:3)  (Matthew 7:7)

12.   Having had a spiritual awakening as the result of these steps, we tried to carry this message to others and to practice these principles in all our affairs.                       (Galatians 6:1)  (Philippians 4:8-9)  (Colossians 4:5-6)  (Ecclesiastes 4:9-11)

 

These Twelve Steps were adapted in the Life Recovery Bible (Tyndale: 1998) from the Twelve Steps of Alcoholics Anonymous.

The Scripture passages cited for each of the Twelve Steps are from The Twelve Steps for Christians (revised). (RPI Publishing, San Diego, CA: 1994).

Toward a Theology of Levity

One of the Wesleyan theological bloggers I regularly follow is Craig Adams. I really identified with this blog post: Toward a Theology of Levity. Check it out!

Toward a Theology of Levity | Theology | Commonplace Holiness

Babies crying during the sermon: A response

Earlier today, I ran across a blog post by Jon Acuff regarding babies crying during the sermon. The link is here.
Babies crying during the sermon. | Stuff Christians Like – Jon Acuff
I was so disturbed, I actually left a comment. (Not something I would normally do, by the way.)

This is what I wrote:

The gospels DO seem to record that some parents took kids with them when they went to listen to Jesus. And when Jesus recognized that there were adults (disciples) who were trying to keep them out of the way, Jesus SCOLDED them!
As a pastor, I LOVE that there are kids in church. The church I'm in right now does have a kids church about 1/2 way through the service, but not everyone sends their kids. And yes, there has been a crying baby a time or two. And my response is always "I believe the church assembled NEEDS to be able to hear the sounds of life! It is a pity to have a church that cannot hear them!'
If the message we are sharing is really all that important to real life, then that message better be able to withstand normal sounds of life. Including a baby crying.

Now that my blood is boiling, I'd like to know what some others do and what you thought after reading his blog posting.

Ministry Matters™ | Blog | 5 Lessons from 'Caine's Arcade'

I saw a video on YouTube the other day about a 9 year old boy in California who created a wonderfully imaginative arcade out of cardboard and odds and ends. Shane Raynor, blogger on Ministry Matters™, wrote an excellent post on Caine , his Arcade, and lessons we can cull from this child and his ongoing project.
Check it out!!


Ministry Matters™ | Blog | 5 Lessons from 'Caine's Arcade'

Joys of Muslim Women

I recently got an email titled: "Joys of Muslim Women" that purported to be from Egyptian woman NONIE DARWISH, yet 2/3 of it refers to Nonie in the 3rd person. 

My initial reactions:
(1) This SOUNDS like it has a ring of truth in it, but since they (whoever REALLY wrote the email) quote a person and reference a book, I want to make sure. 
(2) I searched about.com's urbanlegends pages and found this this great site.
(http://urbanlegends.about.com/od/religion/a/joys_of_muslim_women.htm). 
(3) After realizing that, like most emails I get, this is a TWISTING of truth. Therefore, if I'm going to form an honest opinion, I'm going to have to read the book referenced in the email: Cruel and Usual Punishment: The Terrifying Global Implications of Islamic Law by Nonie Darwish. (Amazon.com has this book HERE.)
(4) This will be a better journey if others join me in reading this as well. I invite you to buy or borrow a copy of this book and let me know you're reading it. I'd appreciate a chance to interact and discuss as we 'journey' through it together. (ONE CAVEAT THOUGH: There will be NO new books read by me until AFTER Easter. Or the day after, for that matter!)  

THIS is the text of the email as I received it:

Joys of Muslim Women
By Nonie DarwishIn the Muslim faith a Muslim man can marry a child as young as 1 year old and have sexual intimacy with this child. Consummating the marriage by 9.
The dowry is given to the family in exchange for the woman (who becomes his slave) and for the purchase of the private parts of the woman, to use her as a toy.Even though a woman is abused she cannot obtain a divorce.
To prove rape, the woman must have (4) male witnesses.
Often after a woman has been raped, she is returned to her family and the family must return the dowry. The family has the right to execute her (an honor killing) to restore the honor of the family. Husbands can beat their wives 'at will' and he does not have to say why he has beaten her.The husband is permitted to have (4 wives) and a temporary wife for an hour (prostitute) at his discretion.The Shariah Muslim law controls the private as well as the public life of the woman.In the West World ( America and Britain ) Muslim men are starting to demand Shariah Law so the wife can not obtain a divorce and he can have full and complete control of her. It is amazing and alarming how many of our sisters and daughters attending American Universities and British Universities are now marrying Muslim men and submitting themselves and their children unsuspectingly to the Shariah law.By passing this on, enlightened American and British women may avoid becoming a slave under Shariah Law.

Ripping the West in Two.

Author and lecturer Nonie Darwish says the goal of radical Islamists is to impose Shariah law on the world, ripping Western law and liberty in two.
Ripping the West in Two.
Author and lecturer Nonie Darwish says the goal of radical Islamists is to impose Shariah law on the world, ripping Western law and liberty in two.She recently authored the book, Cruel and Usual Punishment: The Terrifying Global Implications of Islamic Law.Darwish was born in Cairo and spent her childhood in Egypt and Gaza before immigrating to America in 1978, when she was eight years old. Her father died while leading covert attacks on Israel . He was a high-ranking Egyptian military officer stationed with his family in Gaza .When he died, he was considered a "shahid," a martyr for jihad. His posthumous status earned Nonie and her family an elevated position in Muslim society.But Darwish developed a skeptical eye at an early age. She questioned her own Muslim culture and upbringing.. She converted to Christianity after hearing a Christian preacher on television.In her latest book, Darwish warns about creeping shariah law - what it is, what it means, and how it is manifested in Islamic countries.For the West, she says radical Islamists are working to impose sharia on the world. If that happens, Western civilization will be destroyed. Westerners generally assume all religions encourage a respect for the dignity of each individual. Islamic law (Sharia) teaches that non-Muslims should be subjugated or killed in this world.Peace and prosperity for one's children is not as important as assuring that Islamic law rules everywhere in the Middle East and eventually in the world.While Westerners tend to think that all religions encourage some form of the golden rule, Shariah teaches two systems of ethics - one for Muslims and another for non-Muslims. Building on tribal practices of the seventh century, Shariah encourages the side of humanity that wants to take from and subjugate others.While Westerners tend to think in terms of religious people developing a personal understanding of and relationship with God, Shariah advocates executing people who ask difficult questions that could be interpreted as criticism.It's hard to imagine, that in this day and age, Islamic scholars agree that those who criticize Islam or choose to stop being Muslim should be executed. Sadly, while talk of an Islamic reformation is common and even assumed by many in the West, such murmurings in the Middle East are silenced through intimidation.While Westerners are accustomed to an increase in religious tolerance over time, Darwish explains how petro dollars are being used to grow an extremely intolerant form of political Islam in her native Egypt and elsewhere.(In twenty years there will be enough Muslim voters in the U.S. And Britain To elect the President by themselves! Rest assured they will do so... You can look at how they have taken over several towns in the USA .. Dearborn Mich. Is one... And there are others....) ( Britain has several cities now totally controlled by Muslims)
I think everyone in the U.S. And Great Britain Should be required to read this, but with the ACLU, there is no way this will be widely publicized, unless each of us sends it on!It is too bad that so many are disillusioned with life and Christianity to accept Muslims as peaceful.. Some may be but they have an army that is willing to shed blood in the name of Islam.. The peaceful support the warriors with their finances and own kind of patriotism to their religion. While America and Britain are getting rid of Christianity from all public sites and erasing God from the lives of children the Muslims are planning a great jihad on America .. (and Britain ) ..
This is your chance to make a difference...! Pass it on to your email list or at least those you think will listen..

The 'analysis' on About.com's urbanlegends page by About.com Guide David Emery:

  Analysis: Despite the attribution at the top — "Joys of Muslim Women by Nonie Darwish" — this text wasn't written by Nonie Darwish; indeed, the bottom two-thirds of it refer to her repeatedly in the third person. Darwish confirmed via email that she did not write the article, though it is, in her words, "to a large extent accurate." She also told me her 2009 book, Cruel and Usual Punishment, better represents her views.It should be noted that while the email is at least partially based on Darwish's personal experiences growing up in a Muslim country and reading the Qur'an, it's awash in generalizations and makes pronouncements about Islam and Islamic practices that don't necessarily pertain to all Muslims.
For more on Nonie Darwish's views in her own words, see Cruel and Usual Punishment (Interview) - FamilySecurityMatters.org, 8 January 2009.
For a differing view on the Islamic faith, see Myths About Islam by Christine Huda Dodge - About.com.

Starting April 10th, will you read with me?

Call to Prayer for UM General Conference 2012

How many of us can we get to commit themselves to praying for this event where the future of the United Methodist Church is discussed and decided?

Read the actual article from the United Methodist Church's site here:

http://www.umc.org/site/apps/nlnet/content3.aspx?c=lwL4KnN1LtH&b=2789393&ct=11635047&notoc=1

My hope for the Church

Christianity Today has posted a question and invited ALL to respond. Check it out at 

http://www.christianitytoday.org/hope

Meanwhile, here is my entry:

I know it's a strange analogy, but I hope the church can become more like a bar. Now hear me out, a bar is perceived as a place where people, for whatever reason, can go to be refreshed, be able to "let their hair down" and be real, and a place where there seems to be no judgment. You can be honest about your problems and still be accepted in that place of business.

On the other hand, so many report their distancing themselves from the church because they feel judged, unlistened to, and a sense that you have to have everything in your life cleaned up before you can be a part of the church. And the perception is that the church is the last place where you would go to be free of your burdens, your problems, or your hope.

So what if the church really was more like a bar? What if it was the church where everyone new your name and really welcomed you. What if it was the church where you could go and not have to wear a false mask? Where you could open up about your problems and concerns? What if the church were the place where people didn't feel they were being judged?

My hope for the church is that WE, rather than some bar, become that place of honesty, of welcome, of acceptance, of listening, of freedom, and of hope!

Do You Want To Get Well?

This morning I picked up the Freedom in Christ Bible as I sat down to spend some quiet time with the Lord. When I went to open it, I stumbled upon Jesus' question to the disabled man at the pool of Bethesda: "Do you want to get well?"

That verse comes from the passage in John's gospel where Jesus goes up to Jerusalem for a Jewish feast and Jesus saw this man lying there and learned that he had been lying there for the past 38 years. (John 5:1-15) In response to Jesus' question, he never did say "yes" or "no." Rather, he gave an excuse why he could not get to the healing pool in those rare moments when it had been "stirred" by an angel, and thus be healed.

In the devotional on the next page, titled: "Do you want to get well?" the author says:
"People who cannot be helped fall into three categories."

1. "people who will not acknowledge they have a problem..."
2. "people who know they are in trouble but their pride won't let them ask for the help they need."
3. "people who really don't want to get well."

The first group reminds me of passages throughout the Bible which refer to forgiveness starting with a confession of sin... and then God can forgive. Even Alcoholics Anonymous and other 12 step programs, have long taught that step one of recovery is to admit you have a problem. To not do so, is to live in denial. 

Much of the weight I carry continues to be with me, because I, through many years, have denied I really had a weight problem. Until I acknowledged (and confessed) that I had a weight problem, I could not be helped.

The second group reminds me of Scriptural passages like "Pride goes before destruction, a haughty spirit before a fall." (Prov. 16:18) A lot of people (especially us men), who are obviously suffering with an ailment or injury are like that. They know they're sick or injured, and yet cannot bring themselves to go see a doctor. there's a heart attitude there that says 'I can take care of this all by myself... I am all sufficient to meet my own needs.' In truth, however, we can never meet all of our own needs. To refuse to look to others for help, we essentially make ourselves into a substitute god. After all, only God is "all sufficient." 

When I was 11, I lived this out as well. I decided to go sled riding on a late Saturday morning after cartoons at Grandpa and Grandma's house. Walking up the hill across the road from their place, I walked up beside the tractor path that we all rode on coming down the hill. I crunched my way up the hill. At the top of the hill you slid down and turned into the field off to the right of the tractor path.

It had been icy and snowy the night before and, unbeknownst to me, the tractor path was a sheet of ice with a little bit of snow cover over the ice. On to the sled I went and raced toward the turn off below. I turned the sled at the appropriate time and at the appropriate place, but the sled just kept going... the ice prevented the sled from being able to turn off the path.

Now, my grandparents lived one farm short of being at the top of a hollow on a dirt road in Potter County. I quickly looked ahead and to the sides and saw there were no cars coming. There seldom were any cars. So, in my 11 year old thinking I thought: 'oh well, the road is cindered, that will stop me.' It didn't.

So I found myself in the yard plunging forward rapidly. So, in my 11 year old thinking, I thought: 'OK, I'll just turn the sled to the left and have all of that big yard to slide to a stop in.' The sled (for the same reasons noted above) would not turn and I slammed into the cement porch of their house.  My grandfather, upstairs in the house and not the side near the porch, heard the thud and came to investigate. what he found was me unable to catch my breath, bleeding profusely from where my front teeth had been sheered off and cutting through my lower lip, and me holding my back because of the pain. (Years later, I would have to have surgery on my lip where teeth fragments had been lodged and eventually blocked off a salivary gland. Likewise, my back continues to hurt often decades later.) 

Looking back, I recognize that while I could have easily rolled off the sled long before the proch, I didn't because i was convinced that I was actually in control. I could turn that sled, get stopped by the road, or turn the sled into the yard. I thought I was completely able and sufficient to care for myself. I was not. I continue to pay for my 11 year old pride. I wish I could say I don't find myself in similar situations any more, but that would not be honest.

That third group, those who really do not want to get better, is where this paralyzed man is. All he has in response to Jesus' question about wanting to get well is an excuse. And I think it's pretty significant that the gospel clarifies that he had been in this situation for 38 years! Just lying there and begging for food or money or clothing is natural now. That was this man's source of income and way of life.

Despite this, Jesus decides to heal the man. "To show his gratitude, the man turned Jesus in to the authorities for healing him on the Sabbath."

The devotional goes on with a challenge for all of us who find ourselves in a place where we need healing or another chance in life. "If we really want to get well, we will make whatever commitment is necessary to overcome our infirmities or live productive lives through them. We won't get mad at God or blame anybody else. We will choose to believe that we are overcomers in Christ and that we can do all things through Him who gives us strength."

"We will do whatever it takes to become the person God created us to be because Jesus did what it took for us to be alive and free in Him."

Denial, pride, or an attitude of not wanting to change a way of life; these are all signs of one who cannot be helped except by a Sovereign God.

O God, I personally have had times in all three of these categories. Times when I couldn't believe I had a problem and so denied it. Times when I knew something was amiss, yet thought I could "take care of things" on my own. Times when i was so comfortable with the way things were in the status quo, that I couldn't bring myself to face the uncertainty that change might bring and so opted to stay longer in whatever situation I found myself. Forgive me. Clarify my thinking. Help me to see my own life as you do. And when I need your healing in my mind, in my heart, in my body, help me to quickly recognize when I'm in denial, feeling self-sufficient, or becoming too comfortable in the status quo. AMEN!

 - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

The Freedom in Christ Bible, Neil T. Anderson, general editor (Zondervan: 2001) pp. 1204-1205.

How To Spot A Christian

These were my sermon notes from Sunday morning. I don't guarantee spelling, grammar, etc. are used correctly since these were only my speaking notes.

-      -      -      -      -      -      -      -      -      -      -      -      -

Gospel Reading:        John 13:31-35

Scripture Text:           1 Corinthians 13

-      -      -      -      -      -      -      -      -      -      -      -      -

On June 13, 2003, I was ordained as an elder in the United Methodist Church.

A lot had to happen in order to get that far, but one of the tougher ones was the series of theological questions I had to give written answers for.

One of the questions:

“What are the marks of the Christian life?”

How will you know if someone else is an authentic, real Christian and not just faking it?

How will someone else know if YOU are an authentic, real Christian and not just faking it?

Scripture speaks of a multitude of “marks” signifying the authentic Christian life.

James 1:27...   keeping oneself ‘unpolluted’ is one mark of the Christian life that I see throughout Scripture… the idea of holiness.

“Do not conform to the evil desires you had when you lived in ignorance,” Peter explains in I Peter 1:14-16, and then calls us all to “be holy.”

For me, holiness boils down to Christians making personal choices about their personal behaviors based on the choices God would make as described in the Scriptural record.

One mark of a Christian when they obey the principles of the Bible. I John 5:3  reads: “This is love for God: to obey his commands.” Jesus said “Why do you call me ‘Lord, Lord’ and do not do what I say?” (Luke 6:46).  

We also read that in Matthew 7:22 where Jesus says, “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord.’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of my Father who is in Heaven.”

As a United Methodist, I believe other marks of the Christian life include meeting together in worship (Hebrews 10:25), active participation in worship by singing, praying, listening, giving, and such (I Cor. 14:26-27), baptism (Matt. 28:19), sharing Holy Communion (I Cor. 11:17-33), hearing the “instruction of the apostles” (Acts 2:42), studying the Scriptures (II Tim. 2:15),  discipleship (Matt. 28:19), and being witnesses of Jesus Christ (Acts 1:8).

But let’s take it a step further, shall we? 

Paul spoke of the “fruit of the Spirit” (Gal. 5: 22-23) that would be natural by-products of a Christian life:

·      love,

·      joy,

·      peace,

·      patience,

·      kindness,

·      goodness,

·      faithfulness,

·      gentleness, and

·      self-control.

Ultimately though, I think it boils down to what Jesus says in John 13:35, when he clarifies that love is the determining mark of who is or isn’t Christian… “By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.” Years later, his disciples would reiterate that delineating mark of a Christian in passages like First John 4:7-8: “Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love.”

And the love that marks a Christian life is evidenced by our willingness “to lay down our lives for our brothers…” including sharing our material possessions.

HOW DO WE DO THIS?

HOW DO WE KNOW IF WE HAVE THIS KIND OF LOVE THAT SHOWS THAT WE ARE TRULY CHRISTIANS?

John cautioned the church to “not love with words or tongue, but with actions and in truth” (I John 3:18).

James explained that this action- and truth-based form of love would be seen by believers caring for those in distress… even orphans and widows…. (James 1:27).

Peter encouraged the believers to “Live such good lives…” that “they may see your good deeds and glorify God…” (I Peter 2:12).

Jesus Himself spoke of the importance of action-based love when he explained that reward and punishment for those who claimed to be his followers would be based on what people had done “to the least of these” because that was the same as doing (or not doing) for him.

Therefore, If I am TRULY a Christian, then I “love my neighbor” (Matt. 19:19) in such a way that I reach out and help with what I have as much as possible to the hungry, thirsty, sick, imprisoned, orphaned, widowed, and needy… physically, emotionally, mentally, spiritually.

HOW DO I LOVE MY NEIGHBOR?

I Cor. 13:4-8   Love is…

Love is patient and kind. Love is not jealous or boastful or proud or rude. Love does not demand its own way. Love is not irritable, and keeps no record of when it has been wronged. It is never glad about injustice but rejoices whenever the truth wins out. Love never gives up, never loses faith, is always hopeful, and endures through every circumstance. Love will last forever.

Not that any of us does this perfectly, but we know it's what we are to strive for.

O God, help us to love those you've put in our path... that we have the "mark" that shows others that we are YOUR disciples!

Happy Birthday, Mom!

My mother, Virginia Milne, was born on this day 68 years ago. She died on August 8, 2008. 

In honor of Mom, and my step-father, Norm Milne, I share this picture from one of the weddings our family has celebrated through the years. (Of course, Mom has her eyes closed!)

Hidden Face of God

This article from back in 2008 was what I used for my Pastor's page of The Flame, the newsletter of Clarks Mills United Methodist Church this month.

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     In the introduction of Michael Card’s book The Hidden Face of God, there is a revealing story of Vincent van Gogh, the famous artist of the 19th Century.

     Van Gogh had once felt called to the ministry, but had never been able to pass the theological entrance exams. Instead, van Gogh opted for a more incarnational ministry… among the coal miners in a small town in Belgium. Bit by bit, over a three-month period, Card writes, van Gogh served God by reaching out to these poorest of the poor. In fact, he followed Jesus’ admonition to the rich young ruler to sell all his possessions and give the money to the poor. Paycheck by paycheck, as van Gogh saw more and more need, he gave away just about everything.

     Card then writes “So completely did he reflect the sacrificial simplicity of Jesus that he became known as ‘the Christ of the coal mines.’”

      “But those in the church who had authority over him did not feel this extravagance was appropriate, and he was eventually dismissed. It was a failure that hounded him for the rest of his life,” Card writes.

     Throughout the rest of his life, even as he discovered a ‘ministry’ of expressing himself through art, van Gogh struggled with a sense of failure… even though we now recognize he was a genius! He felt like a reject… and felt the church was the one who had rejected him. He no longer felt he could turn to the church for strength or support… and became estranged from the Lord of the Church as well… Jesus Himself becomes a stranger to this one who had once emulated him so completely.

     Card then draws attention to the last church painting van Gogh ever made, not long before his death: the Church at Auvers. Card writes:

“What many art critics have commented on is not the swimming colors but the ominous lack of a doorway leading into the church. Vincent painted a church that no one could get into. Having tried all his life to work hard enough to ‘get in,’ it appears that he could not imagine, in this last image of the church, a door that might allow him, with his enormous load of pain, to enter in…. Together with the scarcity of references to Jesus in his last letters, the absence of the door in the painting reveals his most fundamental fear: that there is no way into the church and, even more agonizing, that there is no One waiting on the other side of the missing door.” (pp. 12-13)

     Vincent van Gogh died on July 27, 1890, as a result of self-inflicted gunshot wounds from a suicide attempt two days earlier. His brother, Theo, was with him when he died, and reported Vincent’s last words were, translated: “the sadness will last forever.”

     How many times do we, today’s church, share our opinions and our thoughts about the way someone else is doing their job in serving Christ? How many of those times are we alienating those very ones who love Christ and are trying to serve him? How many end up like Vincent van Gogh... carrying an overwhelming load of pain and feeling abandoned by Christ and the Church?

     No small wonder that the author of Hebrews writes: “...encourage one another daily, as long as it is called Today, so that none of you may be hardened by sin’s deceitfulness.” (Hebrews 3:13, NIV)

     Not everyone will agree with the way everyone else does stuff… not even in the church. But we can make sure that we constantly show God’s love and compassion by encouraging one another… so that no one ever sees us as a church without a door.

     Who can you encourage today?

Three Simple Rules

This is my pastor's letter for the January 2012 edition of The Flame, Clarks Mills' UMC newsletter.

“Likewise, every good tree bears  good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit… thus, by their fruit you will recognize them.”— Matt 7:17, 20 (NIV)

    Our bishop, Thomas J. Bickerton, shared a story a couple of years ago of being at a particular Council of Bishops’ meeting when a fight broke out. OK… it was only a conversation but there were several different points of view. Whatever you call it, there were various opinions being expressed over how they (the bishops) could help get our people, and our churches, to be more unified as United Methodists.

    It seems that we have learned how to debate well and disagree often. But if we are going to bear the word “United” in our name, ought there not be something about which we agree?

    So, the Council of Bishops was trying to formulate some plan, or statement, or idea that could help us refocus on our unity… on what it really means to be “Methodist” in our heritage and “United” in our practice of being the church. And there were apparently a lot of ideas that took a  L  O  N  G  time to discuss.

    But then Bishop Bickerton shared that the conversation sort of settled into silence as one of our older bishops, Bishop Reuben Job, stood up and reminded everyone that we already had a statement, an idea, a plan that ought to be uniting us and identifying us as Methodist… And it was summed up as Three Simple Rules.

    Dating back over 250 years to John Wesley himself, the “General Rules of the Methodist Societies,” already addressed these issues and, in essence, were part of the covenant every one of us United Methodists vowed we’d keep. While the wording is old-fashioned, the truth is still there… and still do-able.

     In the official text (from the Discipline, ¶103), we are introduced to the rules thusly:

There is only one condition previously required of those who desire admission into these societies: “a desire to flee from the wrath to come, and to be saved from their sins.” But wherever this is really fixed in the soul it will be shown by its fruits.

    Basically, if you have repented of your sins and Christ lives within you, then you are welcome to “join” us Methodists. BUT, we also have an expectation that IF that’s really true, then people around you (inside AND outside of the church) will be able to tell that you have Christ living in you.

    With that in mind, the Methodists agreed that any of us who really had Jesus in our hearts, would agree to show it in three ways:

“First, By doing no harm, by avoiding evil of every kind…”

“Second, By doing good; by being in every kind merciful after their power; as they have opportunity, doing good of every possible sort, and, as far as possible, to all me…”

“Thirdly, By attending upon all the ordinances of God…”

    Bishop Job reworded those three General Rules, for today’s United Methodists, thusly:

1. Do No Harm,

2. Do Good, and

3. Stay in Love with God.

    To this day, the “General Rules” are printed verbatim in our Book of Discipline. They are meant to be a part of the daily lifestyle of every person who is a part of the Methodist heritage.

    We deliberately watch out so that we don’t cause harm to others with our words, our actions, or our silence.

    We consciously look for ways to do good to others any chance we get.

    And we intentionally, (in a methodical way) practice what has become known as the spiritual disciplines... faithfully attending public worship, carefully reading and searching the Bible, purposely praying, thoughtfully reading Christian authors and devotionals, and regularly participating in the sacrament of Holy Communion and the remembrance of baptism.

    Throughout this next year, we will regularly focus on ideas presented in this little book.

    Let’s show the world around us our fruit...